Suitability Analysis

Hi there

I would like to talk a little bit about the suitability analysis and then probably how to perform it in ArcGIS using both SA toolbox and python scipting.

In general, suitability analysis or site selection is a form of spatial analysis used to determine the best place (site) for something, such as a new store, landfill or school. Maybe the first thing that you need to know to perform a suitability analysis is your site criteria. Your criteria defines how would you like to have your desire place. For example, a commercial developer building a retail store may consider the following criteria:1) Within 1 mile of biggest competitor and major highways 2) On commercially-zoned land 3) In a highly populated area with specific demographic characteristics, such as median income greater than 40,000 per year.

Bsically, we can divide the suitability analysis into three broad category : 1) Binary 2 ) Weighted 3) Fuzzy logic

1) In the binary suitability analysis classify your final layer as just 1 (good ) or 0 (bad). This type of analysis mostly can be thought as a taking query for a database. In other words, selection determines suitability based on a standard binary principle: 0 = No and 1 = Yes or a location will either be unsuitable or suitable.

2) On other hand weighted approach is able to give a rank to different place based on its suitability. You can also assign a relative importance to each layer in the analysis which you were not able to do that in binary site selection.

3) Fuzzy logic assigns membership values to locations. Values range from 0 to 1: 0 indicates non-membership (or unsuitable), and 1 indicates full membership (or suitable).

I guess that would be enough for this post, I'll try to take this topic to higher levels in next few posts.

Good luck

Hamze